Rammelsberg Museum

Address: Rammelsberg 1, 38640 Goslar, Germany

Website: https://www.rammelsberg.de

Rammelsberg is a historic ore mining complex near Goslar in Lower Saxony, Germany, with documented extraction dating back to at least the 10th century and continuous operation until 1988. The site includes extensive underground workings and a preserved industrial surface complex.

Visitors encounter mine shafts, processing buildings, headframes and exhibits that trace medieval, early modern and modern mining technology. The site has been conserved as a museum and industrial heritage site with guided tours of underground passages.

Rammelsberg’s ores - including lead, zinc and copper - supported Goslar’s economy for many centuries and helped shape the surrounding settlement pattern. After closure the site was developed for heritage interpretation and research into mining history.

The complex lies on the northern edge of the Harz mountains near the town of Goslar in Lower Saxony and is accessible by road from Goslar and the wider region.

• Long mining history: Mining activity at Rammelsberg is documented from the 10th century and continued in various forms until the mine’s closure in 1988.
• UNESCO designation: The site forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage ensemble together with the historic town of Goslar, reflecting continuous mining and urban development over centuries.

What to See#

• Underground mine workings: The former underground mine workings and tunnel network that extend beneath the Rammelsberg hill and were mined for more than a millennium.
• Processing plant and surface installations: Above-ground industrial complex including ore-dressing plants, headframes and workshops preserved as part of the museum site.
• Rammelsberg Museum and tours: Visitor museum and guided tour routes that interpret mining techniques, the site’s geology and the millennia of extraction history.

Take Deutsche Bahn (DB) to Goslar Hauptbahnhof. Rammelsberg Mining Museum and the old mine are just outside Goslar and can be reached by a short taxi ride, local bus from the town, or on foot from the station (a short walk from the town center). By car the site is signposted from Goslar.

• Book the timed underground mine tour in advance and arrive at the Rammelsberg visitor centre in good time to collect your ticket and safety briefing - underground visits run on strict schedules and can sell out on weekends.
• Combine the guided shaft tour with the above-ground industrial complex exhibition: the intact ore-processing buildings and conveyor structures are as important historically as the tunnels, yet some visitors skip the surface installations.
• If your schedule is tight, check seasonal opening times and tour frequency ahead of arrival; winter and public-holiday timetables reduce the number of guided underground departures.